Percy Jackson and the Department of Mysteries

43) Harry's Horse Headache

After dealing with a bunch of annoying children, Ron and I moved to find Harry, Hermione going off to help more annoying children.

"Where's Hagrid?" Ron asked, nodding towards Professor Grubbly-Plank, who was seemingly leading the first years.

"Dunno," I shrugged. "Look, there's Harry." We walked over to him, where he was staring with wide eyes at the carriage.

"Where's Pig?" Ron asked him.

"That Luna girl was carrying him," Harry quickly turned. "Where d'you reckon —"

"— Hagrid is? I dunno," Ron sounded a little worried about our giant friend. "He'd better be okay..."

In a carriage a few spaces ahead of where we were standing, Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle herded some of the nervous second years we'd sent this way earlier out of the carriage. Seconds later, Hermione arrived beside us, "Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first year back there, I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge three minutes and he's using it to bully people worse than ever.... Where's Crookshanks?"

"Ginny's got him," Harry nodded toward the crowd. "There she is..."

"Thanks," Hermione said, accepting a squirming Crookshanks from Ginny, who looked very displeased. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up..."

"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron sounded surprisingly panicked, but Hermione didn't hear, and continued on to the first unoccupied carriage.

"What are those things, d'you reckon?" Harry nodded towards the front of the carriage.

"What things?" Ron asked, looking around for anything out of the norm.

"Those horse —"

As Harry was cut off by Luna's arrival, my stomach dropped. I'd been so used to my friend's never being able to see them that I hadn't even considered the thestrals to be what Harry was confused about. He'd seen Cedric die, and now he could see the creatures.

"Here you are," Luna handed Ron his twittering owl. "He's a sweet little owl, isn't he?"

"Er... yeah... He's all right," Ron huffed. "Well, come on then, let's get in.... What were you saying, Harry?"

"I was saying, what are those horse things?" Harry looked behind us at the thestrals as we walked towards the carriage Hermione and Ginny were already seated in.

"What horse things?" Ron asked.

"The horse things pulling the carriage!" Harry said indignantly. Luna and I shared a look.

"What are you talking about?" Ron stared at the carriage, perplexed.

"I'm talking about — look!" Harry grabbed Ron and twisted him so he was face to face with a passing thestral.

Ron stared at it for just a second, then turned blankly to Harry, "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

I'd wondered if Ron would be able to see them, considering the quest and all, but I guess he hadn't directly seen any mortal death.

"At the — there, between the shafts!" Harry was starting to sound distressed. "Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front —" Harry's face fell. "Can't... can't you see them?"

"See what?" Ron asked.

"Can't you see what's pulling the carriages?"

Ron looked alarmed, "Are you feeling all right, Harry?"

"I... yeah..." Harry said.

"Shall we get in, then?" Ron asked uncertainly, clearly worried about Harry.

"You go on ahead, Ronald, I wanna talk to Harry about something," I said. "I'll be just a second."

"Yeah," Ron nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay..."

Ron trotted over to the carriage, sending a concerned glance over his shoulder.

"It's all right," Luna said, and Harry flinched, probably having forgotten she was there. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them too."

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" I patted one of the thestrals on it's snout.

"In a way," Harry said.

"In a way," I agreed. "I would've said something sooner, but people typically don't want to see things. It's not exactly a good omen. I remember the weird looks I got back in third year from you guys when I first saw them — well, it might've just been Hermione."

Harry's eyes widened as he remembered, "So... you guys can see them?" He seemed to need one last reassurance that he wasn't going crazy.

"Oh yes," Luna said, smiling at the thestral fondly, "I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."

Harry didn't look very comforted by that comment, so as Luna started towards the carriage, I said, "Luna's probably the most sane person I know, Harry... she sees things so clearly, so vividly, that sometimes I wonder if I'm the crazy one for not seeing it." I glanced back at him. "But even if all three of us are sharing some strange hallucination, at least they're still magnificent."

"Can campers see them?" Harry asked as we approached the carriage.

"Some," I said. "Most of them can, now, but it used to be different. Why do you ask?"

"You and Luna — you're both campers," Harry supplied. "Why can I see them now — why not before?"

"The same reason Luna and I can see them, and all those other campers, too," I said, knowing that wasn't really the answer Harry was looking for, but not entirely wanting to provide it. "Come on, the carriage seats look comfy."

My dog loves me, and for that I am pleased. I was supposed to start my first article for Journalism while we were out for weather, but I did not, so I will do it tomorrow. Yikes. I need questions to ask a group of children, like ice breaker questions. If you guys have any idea what to ask, please comment, I could always use more questions. I think on Tuesday we have our Winsday because on Wednesday we're having a field trip. It's sad. We have to do ACT practice. I'll probably read a lot. I've got It so I don't have to worry about finishing my book and not having anything to do. I've still got like 600 pages. I've been playing It Takes Two with a friend, and we are finishing it a lot faster than me and Kadee had. I think we also find less mini games. Or maybe we just don't play them as long.

Anyway, I hope you guys have had a whimsical Sunday, and I'll see you on Tuesday CT. Love ya!